Our 2018 hire season has certainly been one we will remember for a variety of reasons and yet again we have increased our number of hires which is what we hope for every year. In this, our seventh year of owning the business, we have had customers from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States in addition to many European countries. However we have also had plenty of visitors who live much closer, some only a few miles away, proving that once you are on your narrowboat holiday you can feel like you are a million miles from home! All our visitors, from near and far, have all been enchanted with this beautiful and peaceful canal with its mountain views and industrial heritage.

We shall also remember this summer for the beautiful warm and dry summer we have had here in Wales. Most people’s expectations of a narrowboat holiday in the Brecon Beacon’s National Park would probably be a mix of sunshine and showers, but this year our weather has exceeded all expectations and we have enjoyed day after day of blue skies and sunshine. The Mon & Brec was luckier than some waterways, as despite the lack of rain the canal remained fully operational for the whole season. The only minor restriction was the evening closure of the locks between the end of August and the middle of October. Now that some rain has fallen and the River Usk is flowing well again the restrictions have been lifted.

As our season draws to a close we now have five months of hard work ahead of us before the next hire season starts in March 2019. Our continued success will allow us to make further investment and this winter we are replacing the BMC engines with new Beta 30 engines in our existing fleet of narrowboats. These engines will ensure the reliability of our narrowboats for the next few years. Other maintenance will include the usual hull blacking and painting of the boats to ensure that they look smart and pretty for next year.

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